Monday, October 25, 2010

First Post - Aria time!

First post and I’m talking about the ARIA’s. Sorry.

Recently, a lot has been made about ARIA’s ‘changing’ of the guard. While I’m not saying this is untrue per se, maybe it’s just a case of only one of the acts that usually clean the awards up releasing an album, and last album or not, it just wasn’t very good. There is no reason any of these acts won’t become icons in the same way Powderfinger or Silverchair are, in fact, these awards may cement the career of Angus and Julia Stone, confirming what has been clear for months now – they are the biggest act in the country right now. John Butler was somewhat snubbed, I admit, but he isn’t necessarily a certain nominee anyway.

Another point of note is, there were a lot more albums that could have just as easily been nominated for the main prize without major surprise. I’m talking mainly Parkway Drive, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Dan Sultan, Cloud Control and Bliss and Eso. All of these are again, ‘new’ bands, but that mainly reflects the year’s popular releases, rather than some ‘changing of the guard’.

So, for my first post in this blog, I am going to start an inaugural predictions and commentary on the awards. I know this is perhaps alarmingly apropos in the face of the band that I’ve stolen the name of this blog from, but Australian music is Australian music, and I plan on following all facets of it. I’m not going to do the ‘Most Popular’ cats, because that shit is wack.

One final note before a huge post that no-one will read, WHAT DOES SALLY SELTMANN HAVE TO DO TO GET SOME NOTICE! An amazing album, and not a single nomination.

Album of the YearAngus & Julia Stone - Down The Way (Original Matters/EMI)Birds of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo (EMI)Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)Washington - I Believe You Liar (Mercury/UMA)

WHO WILL WIN: Angus and Julia Stone.It’s their year.

WHO SHOULD WIN: I’m going to give it up to AAJS here. Not a lot in the category tickles my fancy, but they certainly deserve recognition of their phenomenal rise

Best Independent ReleaseArt vs Science - Magic Fountain (Green/MGM)Dan Sultan - Get Out While You Can (MGM)Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Rush to Relax (Suppression Records/Shock)John Butler Trio - April Uprising (Jarrah Records/MGM)Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

WHO WILL WIN – This one is tough. Album nom points to SIA, but Art Vs Science are a huge hurdle, as is Eddy Current Suppression Ring. However, while it seems there are ARIA’s in the later two’s future, SIA will likely walk away with this.

WHO SHOULD WIN – ECSR should have swept the awards noms. It’s a shame they will likely be going home empty handed, but something tells me that they couldn’t give a shit.

Best Pop ReleaseBluejuice - Head of the Hawk (Dew Process/Universal Music)Empire of the Sun - Half Mast (EMI)Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That (Sony Music)Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite (Warner Music Australia)Sia - We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Inertia)

WHO WILL WIN – SIA. Well, it isn’t going to be Guy Sebastian now is it.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Bluejuice. Fun album. Shame it didn’t blow up for them they way it looked like it might.

WHO WILL WIN – Tame Impala. Good album, and I can’t see them going home completely empty handed.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Cloud Control, just to see the award go to someone less popular.

COMMENTARY – Two awards combined this year, and a lot of curveballs in the nominees. Amy Meredith should take this one last moment of ‘fame’, they will be gone in two weeks. Congrats to PGJ for a big nom.

WHO WILL WIN- I can’t see any circumstance where Bliss and Eso knock Eminem off number one, and don’t win this. I really thought they would get a lot of the nominations that eventually went to Washington or Sia.

WHO WILL WIN – Yolanda Be Cool and Dcup. Massive track internationally, and their 15 mins will extend to this award (but how much longer). People don’t care about Pendulum in Australia as much as they do in Europe, and Art Vs Science will be awarded when they have an album.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Midnight Juggernauts, if only for being the best of a poor bunch.

WHO WILL WIN – This one is interesting. Violent Soho and Airbourne have had huge years in the USA, but never really hit at home. Amity and DLC have had huge years at home, but it probably won’t be enough to get it over the line against Parkway Drive, who, lets face it, probably were the inspiration for the long overdue category.

WHO SHOULD WIN – Shoot me, I LIKE the Violent Soho album and would love to see the Mansfield boys collecting it.

COMMENTARY – It shouldn’t have taken so long to get this category, and even now the award is being handed out before the show, and not on air.